Last week I wrote about the nutrient-dense green algae known as Chlorella. Because Chlorella is so nutrient-dense it has many health benefits including obviously being very nutritious. It’s believed to be helpful to help enhance our immune system, improve cholesterol, control blood pressure, improve blood pressure, help with weight loss – the list goes on. One of the many health benefits of Chlorella is its ability to assist in detoxification.

We come into contact with toxins every day whether it be in the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the personal care/cosmetics we use, the cleaning products we use – the list goes on. Unfortunately, we are constantly overloading our bodies with more and more synthetics and toxins. As we continue to live in this ‘modern’ world, it is harder and harder to avoid many of these toxins.

It has been believed for some time that Chlorella may be effective in detoxifying our bodies of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and aluminium, pesticide residues and other damaging chemicals. This amazing nutrient-dense green algae has been found to bind itself to these heavy metals, pesticides etc in our body, allowing these toxins to pass through our body, thereby preventing the toxins from accumulating in our soft tissue and organs. Chlorella does not however bind to beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc.

We can be exposed to heavy metals in various ways. I guess most of us, when we think of heavy metals, conjures up images of big industrial factories, mining operations and even chemical laboratories. Harmful chemicals however can be found in the foods we eat, air we breathe, water we drink, cosmetics we use and even the amalgam in our dental fillings.

As well as assisting in the detoxification of heavy metals, Chlorella has also been found to be beneficial for liver health especially non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. 1 in 3 Australian adults suffer from fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease has become more prevalent as our population has become more overweight. Fatty liver occurs when there is too much fat in our liver and is more common in people who are overweight or suffer from diabetes. If this condition isn’t addressed, it can unfortunately lead to other more serious health problems.

The good news is a randomised clinical trial discovered Chlorella had incredible detoxifying benefits for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Participants taking 1200mg a day of Chlorella for 3 months experienced substantial drops in liver inflammation (1) As well, participants in the study also experienced improvements in their diabetes and pre-diabetes plus triglycerides and abnormal liver enzymes improved.

Maintaining a healthy liver is extremely important as our liver performs so many important functions. Chlorella may well be a one-stop shop for our liver nutrition. Not only does it contain the detoxifying properties mentioned above, but Chlorella is also high in B group vitamins, Vitamin C, D, E and beta carotene, Omega 3, selenium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and iron. It is beneficial for liver health and liver enzyme production. In fact, this nutrient-dense algae is beneficial as an all-round health supplement.

Chlorella can be taken in a tablet or powder. Both tablets and powder are available in a natural, tropical, or mixed berry flavour.

For more information, call the store to chat with Bev and the girls at 5 North St, Batemans Bay. Don’t forget to tune into Bev every Wednesday at 12.45 pm on 2EC.

• Ebrahimi-Mameghani M, Aliashrafi S, Javadzadeh Y, AsghariJafarabadi M. The Effect of Shlorella vulgaris Supplementation on Liver Enzymes, Serum Glucose and Lipid Profile in Patients with Non-Alcoholic fatty Disease. Health Promot Perspect. 2014 Jul 12;4(1):107-15. Doi:10.5681/hpp.2014.014 PMID:2509844;PMCID:PMC4122038. https//pubmed.ncbi.nih.gov/25097844/